Cooperatives showcase at Ongwediva Fair

THE Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, through its division of cooperative development, this year sponsored a number of cooperatives to showcase their products at this year’s Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair.

Cooperatives are businesses run by a minimum of seven people, who are all registered under the ministry of agriculture.

Even though there are about 140 co-operatives in Namibia, only 10 were chosen by the ministry to showcase their products in order to empower them.

Mekondjo Haufiku, a cooperate business analyst from the ministry said the ministry applied for 10 stands at the show but only six were awarded.

This forced some of the cooperatives to share the stands.

Haufiku said the ministry does not only deal with agricultural cooperatives but also with any other kind of cooperative in Namibia.

“We deal with all cooperatives from all sectors”, said Haufiku. “It can be mining, basket weaving or oil extraction”.

The aim of the cooperatives, according to Haufiku, is to provide self-employment to people with the same goal. Among the cooperatives who participated at the fair were small miners from southern Namibia.

One of the biggest cooperatives at the fair was Eudafano Women’s Co-operative. It is one of the main suppliers of marula oil products in the country and exports some of its products to Europe and the United States of America.

Eudafano also produces melon oil. Other cooperatives that showcased their products at the fair, are the seed growers for maize, beans and mahangu, vegetable farmers, wood carvers and livestock farmers. A cooperative that makes paper from mahangu stalks was also part of the show. The government passed the Cooperatives Act in 1996.

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